# Pipe vs Cigars : Cost difference?



## HWiebe (Jul 13, 2010)

Good evening Gents. 

I have been interested in pipe smoking for quite some time but caught the cigar bug first. My young family is now growing (our first baby on the way) and the cost of my hobby has come up in our financial conversations of late.

I truly enjoy all the relaxing rituals that go along with cigar smoking and do not want to give up that relaxation. Pipe smoking has intrigued me for the same reason, all the rituals. 

My question is as follows. Is it cheaper to smoke pipe vs cigar a couple of times a week? I have been doing some research and I figure I could get by with a cheap cob. I got started on cigars with Captain Blacks and that's pipe tobacco. I love the smell. Whats a good noobie tobacco and where do I get it in Canada? In cigars I like full flavored tobacco like the Joya De Nicaragua dark Corojo line if that helps. 

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.


----------



## BrewShooter (Mar 17, 2011)

No reason a cob wouldn't work and they are dirt cheap. One of the reasons I haven't really gotten into cigars is the difficulty in storing them compared to pipe tobacco and the cost. I can get a 50g pouch of a decent over-the-counter tobacco like Carter Hall or Prince Albert for under ten bucks and easily get 12-15 bowls out of one pouch. A tin might cost me about $16 for a better quality tobacco, but that's still pretty cheap for the number of smokes I'll get out of it.

Cigars tend to have a "fuller" flavor to me, but pipe tobaccos are complex in a subtle way. There are some pretty powerful blends though, including some with cigar leaf. I like 1792 Flake, but that's not exactly easy to find. The nice thing about pipe tobacco is the variety, from Virginia and VaPers, Burley, English/Latakia blends, or dozens of different aromatic blends, you're sure to find something you enjoy and if you're wanting to stick with cheap OTC blends, I've found a couple of those blends are more than adequate.


----------



## Pugsley (Jul 12, 2009)

If you can fight off PAD and TAD the pipe is easily the least expensive way to go, but be forewarned, PAD and TAD are powerful forces.


----------



## Nick S. (Jul 10, 2011)

yes and no, if money is a big issue for you cobs are a great cost effective pipe, not to mention that they are great smokers (just make sure you get the Missouri Meerschaum brand). If you can stick with those and resist the urge to buy more expensive briar pipes than you are stronger than I... as far as tobacco there are so many different blends that you may find that your list of tobaccos that you want to try grows faster than you can try them. I would suggest trying a sampler trade with another pipe smoker (see the Newbie sampler trade thread). as far as cost per smoke goes I believe it is cheaper than cigars, a 50g tin averages around $10 and depending on the size of the bowl of the pipe you can get 10-20 smokes out of it.


----------



## CWL (Mar 25, 2010)

I'm using US$ in my examples, it will differ slightly for you in Canada.

One 50 gram tin can be good for 8-12 smokes in a pipe, depending on pipe size.

If you buy single sticks, then one tin of tobacco would cost about the same as one cigar. One box of cigars can cost you from $100-400 depending on your tastes & budget. $100 could get you 7-10 tins of tobacco...

I started with cigars and purchase by the box before eventually trying pipes because the tobacco is much cheaper. I could dump a partly-finished bowl at any time and not feel bad about the cost, but having to throw away a cigar after 15 minutes was getting costly.

I suggest that you try some English blends. For a noob, I always suggest Dunhill Early Morning Pipe. It is an excellent medium English smoke and from that, you will be able to determine if you want lighter or heavier tobaccos.


----------



## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Pugsley said:


> If you can fight off PAD and TAD the pipe is easily the least expensive way to go, but be forewarned, PAD and TAD are powerful forces.


Amen! Theoretically, pipe smoking is much cheaper. In practice, I'm not sure.


----------



## Hermit (Aug 5, 2008)

MarkC said:


> Amen! Theoretically, pipe smoking is much cheaper. In practice, I'm not sure.


The tobacco is *much* cheaper. I smoke about four ounces 
(or two tins) a week. That costs less than four five dollar cigars, 
which I would smoke in a day. Trouble is, all that savings goes 
out the window when ya can't stop buying pipes. :lol:


----------



## Zogg (Aug 31, 2010)

if you're fine with a cob (or even a $30-60 briar) pipe smoking is unquestionably cheaper per smoke.

Let's say..10 bowls per oz (i get mroe, but thats a good generous average i guess)
I smoke purple cow mostly, i bought a lb for $45
that's $45 for 16 oz. 160 smokes
that's 28 cents per bowl

i usually smoke a luciano, which are about $100
so my pipe is $100 to start

cigars need humidors, etc etc but we'll just say you go to the B&M and grab a smoke every day

say you smoke 2 bowls a day and 2 cigars a day.

Let's say i smoke a Padron 2000 (or comparable cigar), which will last as long as a bowl and is about $5/pop

If you smoke 20 cigars and 20 bowls, thats..
$100 for cigars
$5.60 (20 X 0.28) + $100 pipe = $105.60

lets say.. you smoke the whole pound AND 160 cigars...

that's $100 pipe + 45, $145 for 160 smokes.
cigars? $800.

I have 5 pipes. A $70 peterson, $115 luciano, $100 luciano, $20 nording, and a $60 vauen. that's $365 in pipes.. but that's STILL cheaper than buying cigars.


Use a cob? $5 for a cob + $45 for 160 smokes.. $50

that's a $750 difference if you smoke $5 cigars.
I've yet to have a cigar that cost less than $3 (averaged out per box) that tastes as good as a bowl of decent pipe tobacco..

Even with $2 "cheap everyday" smokes (which personally arent nearly as tasty as pipe tobacco, lets say.. gran habano vintage 2002, which are awesome cigars especially for the price, but i'd rather have a pipe) it would be $320 for 160 cigars and $50 for a cob + a lb of good tobacco.


When you could in a few decent pipes and a pipe tool, maybe a bag, jars for tobacco, etc. it adds money..

but so does a humidor (or even a cooler), humidifiers, etc.


In the long run, you will spend WAY less $$ on pipe smoking. I love both about the same, and for different reasons.. But ill go smoke a pipe 4 times outta 5 when i want a smoke, mostly cause of how much cheaper it is.


----------



## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Strewth Paul, put your accountant's hat on did we? LOL. oke: Take the more expensive pipes out & use cobs or estates & it gets even more cost effective.


----------



## Zogg (Aug 31, 2010)

Tashaz said:


> Strewth Paul, put your accountant's hat on did we? LOL. oke: Take the more expensive pipes out & use cobs or estates & it gets even more cost effective.


Yeah i just bought a box of 13 punishers for $70 (on sale) they're $100 normally.. and when i even saw $70 i said "thats a pipe!"

*facepalm*

this prompted me to start a Pipes vs Cigars thing on my blog, first post is pretty much that one i just made, the others will have other aspects


----------



## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

CWL said:


> *One 50 gram tin can be good for 8-12 smokes in a pipe, depending on pipe size.*


You get 0.25 ounce in a bowl? Man that is a big pipe or I'm a lightweight. LOL.


----------



## asmartbull (Aug 16, 2009)

All this makes perfect sense and the math is accurate
But real life is a little different.
For me, I usually smoke 1 cigar a day. I totally love it and it satisfies me the day. I find on days I don't have the cigar, I want about 4 bowls to get the same satisfaction. The math still favors the pipe, but not to the same degree.


----------



## Zogg (Aug 31, 2010)

Tashaz said:


> You get 0.25 ounce in a bowl? Man that is a big pipe or I'm a lightweight. LOL.


psh he only smokes this:












asmartbull said:


> All this makes perfect sense and the math is accurate
> But real life is a little different.
> For me, I usually smoke 1 cigar a day. I totally love it and it satisfies me the day. I find on days I don't have the cigar, I want about 4 bowls to get the same satisfaction. The math still favors the pipe, but not to the same degree.


i agree with this to an extent, but it is VERY dependent on the type of tobacco you're smoking (if its a nicotine thing), some pipe tobacco has almost no nicotine compared to other, while some will kick your ass as much as the strongest cigar 

burley will have a lot more nic, especially fire cured


----------



## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

Zogg said:


> psh he only smokes this:


Sheeeeet! That would explain the size of CWL's cellar. LOL


----------



## Mister Moo (Sep 8, 2005)

Here's the American math - not sure how Canadian math screws up the equation but I'd imagine pipes are far less costly over time IF (as everyone said) you don't get hoodwinked into buying pipes for the sake of buying pipes. You can do fine with a seven smokes/week with a couple of cobs and a briar or a cob and a good meer.

Get one full-sized good grade meerschaum pipe with case: $100. It will smoke anything, anytime and last a lifetime if you take care of it.

Get 20 different tins of tobacco and smoke one large bowl/day for a year: $200.

Total for year one: $300
Total for year two: $200
Total for year three $200
Three year total: $700 ($4.60/week)

Smoke three $5.00 cigars per week for three years: $2340 ($15/week)


----------



## WyoBob (Mar 6, 2007)

I smoked cigars for 20 years before starting back up with the pipe. My wife is very pleased and so am I due to the tremendous savings (and I found I much prefer the pipe.)

You've received several scenarios from other piper's so I'll give you a "minimal"example. Peter Stokkebye Luxury Navy Flake (which is my regular smoke and, if reduced to having to pick one tobacco for the rest of my life, the tobacco I would choose--particularly when price is a consideration) can be bought for $1.75/oz (when purchased in a 1.5 lb. box) and I get around 15 bowls/oz. for a cost of $ .12/bowl. A MM Missouri Pride is $4.00. Missouri Pride Corncob Pipe - Missouri Pride Corncob Pipe - Smoking Pipes (Click here to see all) - Missouri Meerschaum Company

The cob is an ideal way to get started. If you decide pipes aren't for you, you're not out much money. I like them so much (I own 15) that my 2 meers and 5 briars are in a drawer. BTW, I feel the natural (non plastered) cobs smoke the best.

The newbie sampler trade is a great way to try different tobaccos: http://www.cigarforums.net/forums/vb/general-pipe-forum/78493-newbie-sampler-trade-pipes.html

Good luck and welcome to the forum.


----------



## ChronoB (Nov 4, 2007)

HWiebe said:


> Good evening Gents.
> 
> I have been interested in pipe smoking for quite some time but caught the cigar bug first. My young family is now growing (our first baby on the way) and the cost of my hobby has come up in our financial conversations of late.
> 
> ...


It all depends on how far you want to take it. Yes, pipe tobacco is less expensive that cigars, and it less wasteful becuase you only have to put as much as you want to smoke in the bowl. But just like cigars, it can become a genuine hobby/pastime. With cigars you might invest in bigger better humidors, nicer lighters, multiple cutters, ashtrays, etc.

Same things with pipes. If you get the hang of pipe smoking and enjoy it you'll likely want to move on from cobs to briars and meerschaums. You'll want a variety of pipe tampers, lighters, pipe rests/stands, etc. It can _become _quite expensive. Take heart, though, that even modestly priced pipes and tools can last a lifetime if cared for properly.

Sure, there are folks that happily spend their lives with a couple cheap cobs and a giant tin of Prince Albert. That is essentially the equivalent of a cigar smoker spending his life with a bic lighter and a crate of swisher sweets. Smoking, as a hobby, can get as expensive or stay as economical as you choose.


----------



## User Name (Feb 11, 2011)

ChronoB said:


> It all depends on how far you want to take it. Yes, pipe tobacco is less expensive that cigars, and it less wasteful becuase you only have to put as much as you want to smoke in the bowl. But just like cigars, it can become a genuine hobby/pastime. With cigars you might invest in bigger better humidors, nicer lighters, multiple cutters, ashtrays, etc.
> 
> Same things with pipes. If you get the hang of pipe smoking and enjoy it you'll likely want to move on from cobs to briars and meerschaums. You'll want a variety of pipe tampers, lighters, pipe rests/stands, etc. It can _become _quite expensive. Take heart, though, that even modestly priced pipes and tools can last a lifetime if cared for properly.
> 
> Sure, there are folks that happily spend their lives with a couple cheap cobs and a giant tin of Prince Albert. That is essentially the equivalent of a cigar smoker spending his life with a bic lighter and a crate of swisher sweets. Smoking, as a hobby, can get as expensive or stay as economical as you choose.


Plus, buying tobacco can get expensive too. There's a minimum on most pipe sites for free shipping, mostly around $100. I find myself making a few large orders to keep shipping down, no Joe Cigar here. And if you want to cellar tobacco, well, just look at some of the people's pictures of cellars and imagine how much it could cost.

But yes, pipe smoking has POTENTIAL to be inexpensive.


----------



## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

Cost savings aside, here's the real reason you need to get a pipe...After the baby is born when do you see yourself having a solid block of 45-60 minutes that is required to smoke a cigar. If you have to set it down for more than 20 minutes your SOL and it'll taste like crap when you go back to it. Pipe tobacco doesn't spoil like a cigar if you have to set it down. Twenty minutes? No problem, a hour? makes no difference, just relight at start back up where you started. If you know you're only going to have 15 minutes, just fill it half full, and enjoy that pipe without knowing in the back of your head you'll be wasting a good portion of it.


----------



## Yansee (Dec 4, 2007)

Being in Canada, you have a few things against you. The 75% tobacco tax, which makes a tin around $20 - $25 bucks. Also, MOST variety stores carry tobacco, but again, due to laws (although this might be an Ontario only law), they are not allowed to display what they have for sale. So you have to go in knowing what you want and ask for it by name.
The first tobacco I bought was Backwoods - Black and Gold. It's really nice, although I haven't smoked a lot of different things. A couple friends of mine tried it too and it's become their new favourite. A bag of it runs me about 17 bucks. When I think of 'pipe smoking' I have a certain smell in my head... the Backwoods seems to match that exactly. Again, just my humble opinion. I've only been doing this for about 2 months, haha.


----------



## Zogg (Aug 31, 2010)

User Name said:


> Plus, buying tobacco can get expensive too. There's a minimum on most pipe sites for free shipping, mostly around $100. I find myself making a few large orders to keep shipping down, no Joe Cigar here. And if you want to cellar tobacco, well, just look at some of the people's pictures of cellars and imagine how much it could cost.
> 
> But yes, pipe smoking has POTENTIAL to be inexpensive.


have you seen shuckins collection?


----------



## HWiebe (Jul 13, 2010)

Zogg said:


> have you seen shuckins collection?


OMG Shuckins also smokes pipe? Lol that somehow doesn't surprise me I guess - I mean once you own one box of every cigar on the planet you need to branch out into a different form of tobacco. :biglaugh:

Thanks for all the good info gents. As with most of my hobbies they quickly turn into massively obsessive moneypits. I think I'll try to get my hands on a cob and a few samples of tobacco. I'd enter into a trade for cigars but my humidor is pretty barren as well.:smoke: Maybe I'll have to sacrifice a couple of my Cohiba IV Tubos in a trade. I was saving them for a special ocassion but hey, I'm all about sacrifices these days. See my Humidor sale thread...


----------



## GuitarDan (Nov 26, 2009)

If you like Capt. Black, you can get higher quality versions mailed to your door...
Lane Ltd. 1-Q, and RLP-6 $28/per pound, or $125 for 5 pounds.
About 10 smokes per ounce=160 smokes per pound. 

My favorite cigars are Parodi Toscanos @ .60 each, and La Flor Dominica Double Ligero Robustos @ $8 each.

You guys can do the rest of the math... *chuckle*

*Hi. My name is Dan, and I like Parodis...*


----------



## Nachman (Oct 16, 2010)

*Hi. My name is Dan said:


> The first step to recovering is to admit the problem.ound:


----------



## HWiebe (Jul 13, 2010)

Alright. Been looking around at tobaccos. Is there a specific type that's easier to pack for a beginner? Things to look out for?


----------



## gahdzila (Apr 29, 2010)

Great posts so far from the pipe FOG's. 

I've been playing with pipes off and on for a few months, but I definitely still consider myself a newbie to this side of Puff. Yeah, pipes can definitely be cheaper. But to me, they're not cigars, and won't ever be cigars. I still puff my pipe on occasion, but I guess I'm just a cigar guy at heart.

From one full bodied cigar fan to another, I'll toss you a couple of recommendations - C&D Billy Bud is a nice full English with maduro cigar leaf blended in that I enjoy a lot. And Peterson Irish Flake is a fantastic tobacco that doesn't taste like anything else I've ever smoked, with enough nic to satisfy. And definitely try out the newbie trade!

To answer your last question: flakes have a little more of a learning curve. But it's not hard. You'll hear guys talking about "folding and stuffing.". Personally, I prefer to just cut them up with a small sharp scissors, and rub them until they're crumbled and pack them that way.


----------



## BrewShooter (Mar 17, 2011)

HWiebe said:


> Alright. Been looking around at tobaccos. Is there a specific type that's easier to pack for a beginner? Things to look out for?


I would start with a ribbon cut or mixture. I tend to rub flakes out into ribbon anyway, but have tried the fold and stuff method a few times. Many of the over the counter blends like Prince Albert or Carter Hall are fine blends, but, coming from cigars, you might want something with more punch. I'm only an occasional cigar smoker myself. I tend to smoke cigars more in social settings and a pipe when I want to get away on my own for an hour or so. Anyway, you might want to focus on a stronger blend if you're looking for something closer to cigars. That being said, I think latakia or "English" blends offer something very unique, that smokey campfire quality could be good for someone who's looking for an intense flavor.


----------



## ProbateGeek (Oct 13, 2010)

I'm fresh from the cigar side, too, and have REALLY been enjoying something I picked up from a local pipe & cigar shop labelled as "Balkan Supreme". I do not know if this the same Balkan Supreme available from Peter Stokkebye (it was $4.50/oz, and I think it was not the PS), but I do know that I cannot stop smoking it. Haven't had a cigar in two days, but am on my 6th of 7th bowl of this. Delicious.


----------

